Victor Coochwytewa — Hopi Silversmith & His Hallmarks
Victor Coochwytewa. Hopi, Shungopavi. 1922–2011. Arizona Indian Living Treasure. He signed the part of the jewelry no one was supposed to notice.
Hopi overlay is a craft of two faces: the polished top layer everyone admires, and the dark recessed layer beneath it that reads as shadow. Most smiths of his generation left that recess plain. Victor Coochwytewa textured it — and in doing so set a standard the whole Hopi overlay tradition still works to.
The Marks
Coochwytewa signed pictorially, with stamped rain-cloud motifs — both a two-cloud and a three-cloud form are documented, the latter paired with the Kópavi shop mark. We name the cloud as it appears in his silver, as collectors and museums have, and leave its meaning to the Hopi and to the artist.
The Smith
He was born in 1922 at Shungopavi. He first learned silver under Paul Saufkie in 1940, then trained in the postwar GI Bill "Veterans' Classes" taught by Fred Kabotie and Saufkie — the program that became the Hopi Silvercraft Guild and formalized the overlay style now synonymous with Hopi jewelry. (The Guild was formed in 1949, per Wright (2003, p. 44) [4].) His teachers were the two men who codified the tradition; Coochwytewa was among the first generation to carry it forward, alongside contemporaries like Michael Kabotie's father Fred, who taught the class.
The Work
Here is the detail that earns the page. Coochwytewa is credited as the first Hopi smith to texture the oxidized back-plate — the recessed layer revealed by the overlay cutout — a technique he borrowed from leatherworking and one that is now an industry standard across Hopi overlay. It is a jeweler's insight: that the negative space, the "shadow" behind the design, could itself be worked rather than left flat. Once you know to look for it, his backgrounds read with a depth his flatter-recessed peers never got.
The Standing
The Museum of Northern Arizona holds a Coochwytewa bracelet purchased at the 1961 Hopi Craftsman Show for twenty-four dollars (catalog no. E2213) — a small, exact record of a master's work at market price before the market knew him. In 1994 Arizona named him an Indian Living Treasure. You can learn more about the Hopi overlay tradition he shaped through the Museum of Northern Arizona, which holds his work and documents the Hopi Craftsman shows where he sold it.
Know more about Victor? Contact T.Skies.
- Mateo’s notes, July 2026 — documented rain-cloud hallmark images; Museum of Northern Arizona object record (bracelet #E2213, 1961 Hopi Craftsman Show); Hopi Silvercraft Guild / Veterans' Classes history.
- Museum of Northern Arizona — holds his 1961 bracelet; steward of the Hopi Craftsman Show record.
- Cross-reference: Michael Kabotie — son of Fred Kabotie, who taught the Veterans' Classes Coochwytewa trained in.
From the Library: Branson, Turquoise: The Gem of the Centuries (1975)
1975 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 1975, not today.
According to Branson (1975, p. 7), an overlay necklace and earrings by Victor Coochwytewa were chosen to illustrate the Hopi technique in his book.
From the Library: Bedinger, Indian Silver (1973)
1973 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 1973, not today.
According to Bedinger (1973, p. 208), Victor Coochwytewa appliquéd silver wire in dynamic patterns of straight and curved lines to make abstract designs with a strong sense of movement. [2]
From the Library: Turnbaugh, Indian Jewelry of the American Southwest (2007)
2007 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2007, not today.
Captioning his stylized eagle overlay pendant, William and Sarah Turnbaugh (Turnbaugh 2007) wrote that he was the smith
“who began silversmithing in 1940. He was among the earliest group of Hopi craftsmen to make jewelry in the overlay style.”
— Turnbaugh (2007), p. 62 [3]
Turnbaugh (2007, p. 62) dated the founding of the Hopi Silvercraft Guild to 1949, and their p. 63 caption repeats that the Guild began in 1949. [3]
From the Library: Wright, Hopi Silver (2003)
2003 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2003, not today.
According to Wright (2003, p. 57), Coochwytewa was affiliated with the Hopi Silvercraft Guild but also marketed his silver individually, even selling it to Hopicrafts for resale. [4]
According to Wright (2003, p. 57), in the 1950s he made silver overlay buckles with tooled leather belts in a matching design, and after his retirement he worked in gold as well as silver in his traditional designs, even using diamonds. [4]
According to Wright (2003, p. 84), his son Ricky Coochwytewa, of the Bear clan at Shungopavi, began silverwork in 1970, learning from his father, and used a bear-paw mark. [4]
According to Wright (2003, p. 77), Victor Coochwytewa (also Victor Hugh), of the Water (Patki) clan at Shungopavi, began in 1940 working with Paul Saufkie and also attended the veterans' classes; his mark in the listing is labelled 'Rain Cloud', and he was listed as still working when the list was last revised. [4]
From the Library: Bassman, The Beauty of Hopi Jewelry (1993)
1993 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 1993, not today.
Bassman (1993) pictured a bola tie by him:
“Big Horn Sheep with tips made in 1985 by Victor Coochwytewa.”
— Bassman (1993), p. 17 [5]
Bassman (1993, p. 18) pictured a necklace of bears and a sunburst made in 1992 by Victor Coochwytewa. [5]
Bassman (1993, p. 23) pictured a pendant of the Butterfly Maiden Kachina and corn, set with turquoise, made in 1992 by Victor Coochwytewa. [5]
Bassman (1993, p. 36) pictured a bola tie with tips made in 1982 by Victor Coochwytewa and a belt buckle he made in 1992. [5]
Bassman (1993, p. 49) pictured a village-scene bracelet and an eagle chain and pendant made in 1992 by Victor Coochwytewa. [5]
From the Library: Baxter, Encyclopedia of Native American Jewelry (2000)
2000 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2000, not today.
Baxter (2000), who spelled his name Coocheytewa, recorded his training:
“One of Hopi’s most respected artists, Victor Coocheytewa returned from service in World War II to become one of the first students in the G.I. Bill-funded silversmithing course established by Fred Kabotie (1900-1986) and Paul Saufkie (ca. 1910-1998) in 1947.”
— Baxter (2000), p. 36 [6]
Baxter, writing in 2000, described the innovation this page is built around:
“One of his major contributions to native jewelry-making is an innovative refinement in the oxidation process for overlay work, which gives the background a greater texture and contrast.”
— Baxter (2000), p. 36 [6]
Baxter (2000) also dated his move into gold:
“Coocheytewa was one of the earliest native artists to work in gold as an overlay material, starting in the early 1970s.”
— Baxter (2000), p. 36 [6]
According to Baxter (2000, p. 36), he and his son Ricky had branched out into diamonds and even platinum and, as of 2000, made jewelry for Kopavi International of Sedona, Arizona. [6]
Baxter (2000, p. 36) recorded his jewelry in the permanent collection of the Heard Museum in Phoenix and in the Elkus Collection of the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. [6]
From the Library: Schaaf, American Indian Jewelry I (2003)
2003 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2003, not today.
Asked about his designs, Victor Coochwytewa told Schaaf (2003):
“My jewelry is different. The designs come from my head.”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 120 [7]
Victor Coochwytewa told Schaaf (2003, p. 120) that after Army service in Burma during World War II he attended art classes at Fort Wingate in 1946 and 1947, including a silversmithing class, then joined the veterans' classes at Old Oraibi in 1948, where he learned from Fred Kabotie and Paul Saufkie, starting with copper; he also worked with Charles Loloma painting murals of Awatovi. [7]
Schaaf (2003, p. 120) listed his work in the National Museum of the American Indian, the Heard Museum and the British Museum. [7]
Victor Coochwytewa told Schaaf (2003) why he liked the work:
“It’s nice to make jewelry. It could be cold outside and snowing, and you can stay inside and work”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 120 [7]
Schaaf (2003, p. 318) named Victor Coochwytewa and Willie Archie as brothers-in-law of the Hopi overlay smith Ted Wadsworth of Shungopavi. [7]
Field Notes by Mateo James
I notice the books date his start differently. This page, following Wright and the Turnbaughs, has him learning silver under Paul Saufkie in 1940, while Schaaf's 2003 entry gives his active range from about 1947 and quotes him dating his silversmithing class to 1946-47 and the veterans' classes to 1948. I show both as printed.
Sources
- Branson, Oscar T. Turquoise: The Gem of the Centuries. Santa Fe: Treasure Chest Publications, 1975. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 1975.
- Bedinger, Margery. Indian Silver: Navajo and Pueblo Jewelers. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1973. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 1973.
- Turnbaugh, William A., and Sarah Peabody Turnbaugh. Indian Jewelry of the American Southwest. Foreword by Barry M. Goldwater. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2007 (copyright 1996 and 2007; first published 1988). ISBN 0-7643-2577-9. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2007.
- Wright, Margaret Nickelson. Hopi Silver: The History and Hallmarks of Hopi Silversmithing. Revised edition. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2003. Originally published by Northland Publishing. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2003.
- Bassman, Theda. The Beauty of Hopi Jewelry. Photography by Gene Balzer. Walnut, California: Kiva Publishing, 1993. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 1993.
- Baxter, Paula A., with Allison Bird-Romero. Encyclopedia of Native American Jewelry: A Guide to History, People, and Terms. Phoenix: Oryx Press, 2000. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2000.
- Schaaf, Gregory, with Angie Yan Schaaf. American Indian Jewelry I: 1,200 Artist Biographies, ca. 1800-present. American Indian Art Series, Vol. 5. Santa Fe: CIAC Press, 2003. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2003.
This profile is maintained in support of Native American silversmiths and compiled from published references. See something inaccurate, or want to add to it? Contact us.